Meaning
Substance, the essence of a thing that subsists in itself, as opposed to accident.
Literally: essence, jewel
How Iqbal uses it
Iqbal invokes the substance-accident distinction of the philosophers while pressing toward a self that is no inert substance but living, willing energy.
See it in the verse
Jauhar in Iqbal’s couplets
Giraanbaha hai to hifz-e-khudi se hai warna
Gauhar mein aab-e-gauhar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
Gauhar mein aab-e-gauhar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
If you are precious, it is from guarding your selfhood; otherwise a pearl is nothing but the lustre that is its own.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge
Tamanna dard-e-dil ki ho to kar khidmat faqeeron ki
Nahin milta ye gauhar baadshahon ke khazeenon mein
Nahin milta ye gauhar baadshahon ke khazeenon mein
If you long for a heart that truly feels, then serve the poor and the humble; this jewel is not found in the treasuries of kings.
Humility · Love · Self-Knowledge
Fitrat ne mujhe bakhshe hain jauhar malakuti
Khaki hun magar khak se rakhta nahin paiwand
Khaki hun magar khak se rakhta nahin paiwand
Nature has gifted me an essence that belongs to the heavens; I am made of dust, yet I am not bound to the dust.
Selfhood · Aspiration · Self-Knowledge